Ask Our Doctors: You are What You Eat

Salmonella ScareA nationwide salmonella outbreak has sickened more than 400 people in 42 states. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believes peanut butter may be the cause of the illness and has recalled more than 125 food products. To see a complete list of the Food and Drug Administration’s recalled foods, click here.

Salmonella is a bacteria that, when ingested, can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps within 12 to 72 hours after infection. It usually lasts four to seven days, and most people recover without treatment. The illness can be deadly if the infection spreads from the intestine to the blood stream and to other organs.

The Doctors advise, “Wash your hands, and wash your foods!”

Food IrradiationIf you scratched your head on just what this means, you’re not alone. Most people haven’t even heard of this method of food preservation, which is using radiation to sanitize and preserve fruit, vegetables and meat. Ionized radiation waves are purported to kill bacteria, parasites and bugs. Though approved and deemed safe by the FDA, the practice remains controversial. How the process affects the nutrients within the food is still unclear, as is what the radiation does to the food itself.

“I read the science on this, and it certainly seems safe, but something inside of me still just doesn’t feel right about it,” Dr. Jim says.

Rachael RayThe one and only perky celebrity chef, Rachael Ray, appears via satellite from New York to share her favorite tips for teaching your kids to eat healthily … willingly!

Rachael founded Yum-O, an organization that encourages children and their families to develop healthy relationships with food. “I am so psyched about getting American kids really interested in their own nutrition and giving them ownership of how to eat good foods!” she enthuses.

Nutrition Tips from Rachael Ray • For the picky eater in your family: If you’re making a pasta dish and using a sauce that can hide the color of the noodles, then use whole wheat pasta. If you can see the color of the pasta, start mixing in whole wheat pasta so your kiddies can see that it tastes the same. It’s a great way to put more protein in their diets!• Add in servings of sweet potatoes when serving potatoes.• Send your kids off to school with some lunchbox sushi. To make, simply roll out soft, whole wheat bread like you would roll dough, drizzle on some mustard, sprinkle in some shredded veggies and thinly sliced deli meats, wrap it all up, slice on the diagonal, and voila! Lunchbox sushi!• The more colorful the food, the more nutritious it is. The next time you’re in the grocery store, park the cart and say, ‘Kids, what colors do you want to eat today?’ And let them choose. That way they’re part of the whole process.”• Get creative when you’re making food for your family. “You’re only limited by your imagination!”

The Yo-Yo DieterKimberly tells The Doctors that she is a certified yo-yo dieter and has fallen off the diet wagon too many times to count. Dr. Ian Smith, author of The Four Day Diet, joins The Doctors and shows Kimberly that the answer to her problem is much simpler than she thinks.

“It’s like a car. You want to put the best fuel into your car; it’s the same thing with your body,” Dr. Smith says.

He explains that even the most devoted dieter can fall off the wagon simply because they grow bored with what they’re eating, or if they feel they’re being deprived of their favorite foods.

“The minute you tell someone they can’t have something, they want it even more,” Dr. Smith says. “The key is to compromise and make it a little healthier.”

Step Two: For the next four days, Kimberly can introduce four ounces of turkey, chicken, or fish into the rotation.

Step Three: Kimberly can introduce the not-so-healthy foods, like pizza, into her diet, but only in moderation. Dr. Smith encourages her to eat four meals a day, three to four hours apart, and not count the calories. He assures Kimberly that switching up the kinds of food she eats will increase her metabolism and her energy.

“You have to have a diet that’s realistic,” Dr. Smith concludes. “This is a lifestyle change.”

Eenie, Meenie, Minie, MoWhat foods should your child choose when faced with a vending machine? Pediatrician Dr. Jim shows Pamela and her 6-year-old son, Nevin, what the healthiest options are. He suggests that when you only have a medley of junk foods to choose from, pretzels, chocolate covered raisins, fruit and nut bars are the best choices.

Super Food!Dr. Frank Lawlis, renowned psychologist, author and innovator in the field of behavioral medicine, co-authored the book The Brain Power Cookbook with Dr. Maggie Greenwood-Robinson. They assert that eating the right foods can boost your thinking, memory, mood and sex life. So grab a fork and dig in!

• To increase your libido, dip into a bowl of oysters or papayas. Sprinkle with mint, which is another aphrodisiac.• To boost your memory, indulge in a blueberry smoothie.• To fend off depression, help yourself to a serving of tuna pasta salad with walnuts.

The Pros of ProbioticsProbiotics are bacteria that are considered healthy for your intestines. They can help with constipation, bloating, diarrhea, yeast infections and combating the side effects of a round of antibiotics. Probiotics can be found in supplement form and yoghurt is an excellent probiotic as well.

What’s in the Bag?The Doctors confiscate the lunch of a show staffer, Meg, to prove the point that what we think is healthy isn’t always so. Ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup add heaps of sugar and fat to each serving.Meg’s seemingly-healthy lunch consists of: • 12” store-bought veggie sandwich • Mixed fruit cup • Kiwi strawberry drink• Sandwich bag of Kettle Korn popcorn

= a whopping 1,636 calories!

“That’s almost how many calories you should eat in an entire day!” Dr. Travis exclaims.

Dr. Smith adds that if they’re trying to lose weight, women should consume no more than 1,200 to 1,400 calories per day.

Further investigation reveals that her lunch has: • As many calories as a cheese pizza • As much sugar as a giant spool of cotton candy• As much fat as a stick of margarine

Meg is stunned.

A simple way to cut down on sugar is to replace white bread with wheat bread, which has less sugar and a lower glycemic index (GI), which ranks the effects of different carbohydrates on our blood glucose levels, and far less sugar. Dr. Smith explains, “The lower the glycemic index, the better it is for you.”

“Always read the labels!” Dr. Travis reiterates.

Hollywood Beauty Treatments Food can be used to pamper yourself too! Louisa Maccan-Graves, natural beauty expert and author of Hollywood Beauty Secrets: Remedies to the Rescue, demonstrates spa treatments you can do in your own home. Dr. Ordon took advantage of the decadent champagne and caviar facial! For more of her Hollywood beauty secrets, click here.